If you’re a little surprised at how well a high-end compact is performing it’s time to let you in on its secret. The Sony RX1 uses the same 24megapixel 36x24mm Sony sensor Nikon put into their D600 DSLR. So we can expect the RX1 to perform just as well.

With the same 24x36mm Sony CMOS sensor in the RX1 and D600 their Scores are similar and only just behind the best performer on our database the Nikon D800.

If we take a closer look at the top three performing Sensors in our database the results are mighty close. To all intents and purposes they have the same Portrait (Colour Depth) and Landscape (Dynamic Range) performance. There is however a minor difference with the Sports (low-light ISO) scores and the D600 & D800 perform fractionally better in low light. With overall ISO scores of 2980 ISO for the Nikon D600, 2853 ISO for the Nikon D800 and 2534 ISO for the Sony RX1 the difference is less than 1/3 of a stop, but it’s just enough to give the Nikon DSLRs the edge in the Overall Sensor Scores.

The three best sensors on the DxOMark Sensor database put in a similar ISO performance with great results up to ISO 800 despite their high resolution.

All three cameras have an excellent SNR up to ISO 800. At higher sensitivities however respectable results are achieved up to ISO 3200, which is great for photojournalists working in low light.

Before we start here it should be pointed out the Sony RX1 isn’t really in the same category of high-end compact as it’s a completely unique camera. Pitting its full-frame sensor against the Sony RX100’s smaller 1-inch sensor or even the Fujifilm X100’s APS-C variety isn’t really fair, but how much better are the results? Especially considering at $2,800the RX1 currently costs over 4 times as much as the other two?

Boasting the sensor with the largest physical size it’s not surprising the Sony RX1 demolishes its nearest rivals in the high-end compact category.

In terms of Dynamic Range and Colour Depth the RX100 and X100 are very similar and both are outshone by the RX1. Colour Depth of 25.1 bits on the RX1 gives it 1.5 and 1.6 stops better Colour Depth than the X100 and RX100 respectively and with a Dynamic Range score of 14.3 it is also a full 2 stops better than both cameras in this regard.

In low light the RX1is significantly better than the RX100 but against Fujifilm’s high-end compact it’s closer, although the X100 only shoots up to 1600 ISO.

The Sports (low light ISO) comparison however is the most illuminating and really shows up the difference sensor size makes. Compared to the Fujifilm X100 score of 1001 ISO the RX1 is only 1.3 stops better in low light with a score of 2534 ISO. It’s against the much smaller 1-inch sensor on the Sony RX100 however where the RX1 really shines producing a massive 2.7 stops improved ISO performance over its cheaper sibling. To put that into context our SNR chart shows while acceptable images are possible on the Sony RX1 up to 3200 ISO using the RX100 you can’t go beyond 640 ISO.

Further readings for the Is the RX1 the compact photojournalists are waiting for?

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

We said the RX1 was a brave step for Sony - a truly top-end product from a brand still establishing its photographic reputation at that level. And it's a gamble that pays-off to a great degree. The RX1 is much more than a brand-enhancing flagship that few people will ever get to use - it's also truly effective as a camera.

Comments

RX1 Sonnar lens mid zone dip

Hi there,

I was wondering if you noticed a mild mid zone dip with the RX1 lens? I just got the cam and the lens seems to dip slightly about 1/3 out from the centre. I also find that the corners are sharper than this area....?

First replies for this comment

Re: RX1 Sonnar lens mid zone dip

Hello!

Thanks for your interest in DxOMark.

You can check the sharpness measurement for the RX1 lens here:http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Lenses/Camera-Lens-Database/Sony/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-RX1-Lens/%28camera%29/833/%28cameraname%29/SONY-Cyber-shot-DSC-RX1You are right, sharpness is lower at 1/3 of the field.

Sharpness at f2.0 vs f3.2

Hello,I like the RX1 a lot, but center sharpness gets A LOT better when stopping down from f2.0 to f2.8 or f3.2. At 100% view, this is fully field relevant: Details and sharpness at 2.0 are okay, from 3.2 they are brilliant. I must admit to be somewhat disappointed by that. Does this practical view fit to Your lab results (which are somewhat abstract to me), i.e. is that "perfectly normal" or did I get a bad copy ?

First replies for this comment

Re: Sharpness at f2.0 vs f3.2

Hello Martin,

Thanks for your interest in DxOMark.

You are right but we would not say "a lot", as we measured a slight loss of sharpness at f/2.0 and we did not measure any significant difference between f/2.8 and f/4.To be convinced you should have a look to the acutance field map.

nice review

Thank you for the review. Looks to be a remarkable camera!

Though not really cross comparable, the Pentax K5 apsc dslr's measure an equally very healthy 14.3 EVS... until one can afford the sony the K5 is still pretty remarkable, especially for those like me on a budget.We live in a remarkable age to have so many great cameras and reviews at such an easy reach.

pentax and sony

DXO: What is selected for RX1's Transmission to decide it's SNR Score?

Hi!

I would like to know what is selected for RX1's Transmission Score to decide it's SNR.T = 2.1 or 2.0?

And if the above selection is not correct, RX1's SNR Score may be changed?(E.g. If the selected value is 2.0 and the real value is 2.1, the total amount of the light, which reaches to Sensor in real value, is about 10% lower than the selected value)

First replies for this comment

Re: DXO: What is selected for RX1's Transmission to decide it's SNR Score?

Hello!

Thanks for your comment.

You’re right regarding the potential bias. In the example you note, it could be close to 14% meaning less than ¼ of Stop. As we cannot measure the TStop on compact camera we decide to use the aperture, so in this case 2.0.

Re: DXO: How about the Lens on the RX1? Is it fully sharp on f2.0?

High ISO way better than Sony A99

What's up with the RX1 doing so much better than the A99 on the high ISO score? I thought they're supposed to have similar sensors but the RX1 seems to perform significantly better. Is that all chalked up to the A99's pellicle mirror?

Another mistake?

First it's saying that Sony uses BSI type image sensors in their dSLRs, (they don't, those are Exmor "R") and now the RX100 has an APS-C sensor? It doesn't. The RX100 uses a 1 inch sensor, like the Nikon 1 series.

First replies for this comment

Re: another fullframe camera review

Quote:

<div id="linkdxomark">This a comment for <a href="http://www.dxomark.com/index.php/Cameras/Camera-Sensor-Database/Sony/Cyber-shot-DSC-RX1">this page on the website</a></div>Where is XTrans sensor camera? why not testing them? all the major review sites has pubslished their reviews ages ago.

and you call yourself "Camera Sensor" Only Analysts/ Experts?

The first camera you should review is xpro1 last year!

Don't know what's wrong with you guys!!

Hi,The DxO mark team has answered to this question of their facebook page. Here it is :

Quote:

The Fuji X-Pro 1 and X-E1 sensor does not use a Bayer matrix, but rather a very different matrix whose pixels are arranged in rows of three colors — a technology called “X-Trans”, inspired by the naturally irregular distribution of silver halide crystals on film. As for the Fuji X10, XF1 and X-S1, they use a CMOS EXR sensor with yet another different arrangement.The demosaicing algorithms of DxOMark lab that allow it to analyse digital camera RAW photo files were designed to process the output of sensors using the Bayer matrix.Testing these five Fuji cameras would necessitate completely rewriting our demosaicing algorithms to enable them to process the data received from this different matrix. Although DxO Labs tries to respond to photographers’ requests to provide test for specific camera models, there are no plans for testing these five Fuji cameras in the short term.